BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, (CMC) - Barbados, defending double-crown West Indies first-class champions, again showed they meant business when they completed a 10-wicket triumph over Guyana in their opening round match of the Carib Beer 2004 Cricket Series at Kensington Oval yesterday.
Set eight runs to win, the Barbadians reached the target off the last ball of the first over their second innings when Kurt Wilkinson lofted Esaun Crandon over extra cover for four, after Guyana, trailing by 314 runs on first innings, had been dismissed for 321 in their second innings.
“It was a very good performance and was particularly pleased because we batted very well,” Barbados captain Courtney Browne told reporters in a post-match news conference.
“This year, our batting is one of the things we’ve got to focus on. We want the bulk of our runs to come from the first five specialist batsmen. I was very glad we did it in this match, but we can always improve in everything that we did.”
Left-arm fast-medium bowler Ian Bradshaw captured two of the last four wickets to be the pick of the Barbados bowlers in Guyana’s second innings with four wickets for 69 runs from 24 overs. Tino Best ended with three for 52 from 16 overs.
The Barbadians needed exactly an hour to complete the demolition job they had started when they had dismissed the Guyanese for 108 in their first innings before replying with 422 for seven with left-hander Floyd Reifer and opening batsman Wilkinson hitting hundreds.
Guyana continued from their bedtime position on the third day of 307 for six and were bowled out in 40 minutes after play started 10 minutes earlier to make up for time lost because of bad light the previous evening.
Bradshaw made the breakthrough when left-hander Mahendra Nagamootoo was lbw for 44 in the fifth over of the day playing across the line off the backfoot. He batted close to two hours, faced 82 balls and struck six fours, and also completed a 70-run, seventh wicket with Travis Dowlin.
Bradshaw struck again in his next over when Guyana captain Neil McGarrell was caught at square leg for one essaying a pull and, four balls later, Dowlin was run-out for 40 by Tino Best’s throw from square leg to the wicketkeeper.
The innings ended when Esaun Crandon was adjudged lbw to Pedro Collins for one to leave the Barbadians with their negligible target.
Barbados face Windward Islands at the North Stars Sports Club on the northern tip of their island in the second round, when Guyana tackle Jamaica at Sabina Park.
GUYANA 1st innings 108
BARBADOS 1st innings 422 for seven declared (F. Reifer 133, K. Wilkinson 116; L. Cush 4-122)
GUYANA 2nd innings (o/n 307 for six)
A. Haniff b Nurse 8
S. Chattergoon c Reifer b Best 87
K. Arjune c wkpr *Browne b Bradshaw 97
L. Cush lbw b Best 0
N. Deonarine c Collins b Best 12
T. Dowlin run-out (Best) 40
+V. Nagamootoo c Hinds b Bradshaw 0
M. Nagamootoo lbw b Bradshaw 44
*N. McGarrell c (sub) Benn b Bradshaw 1
E. Crandon lbw b Collins 1
R. Thomas not out 0
Extras: (b-4, lb-5, w-6, nb-13) 28
Penalty runs: 5
Total: (all out) 321
Fall of wickets: 1-21, 2-177, 3-177, 4-202, 5-242, 6-242, 7-312, 8-319, 9-321.